Malaria remains one of the deadliest diseases in the world today, as it has been for thousands of years. For each of the one million people killed by malaria each year, hundreds of millions more suffer from severe illness. The impact of malaria is particularly devastating in sub-Saharan Africa where its victims are primarily young children and pregnant women.
This situation is worsened by the growing emergence of Plasmodium parasites that are resistant to multiple drugs. The list of drugs that are losing potency against malaria includes the quinolines, such as chloroquine, quinine, and mefloquine; the antifolates, such as pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine; and the anti-respiratory combination of atovaquone and proguanil.
The present disclosure provides compounds, compositions and methods comprising 3-aryl quinolines that are effective against malaria infection, including malarial strains that have developed resistance to currently available drugs.